Airstream>>

I applaud your enthusiasm and wish you a great experience in finding your AS, but I had to laugh when you decided to dismiss the first-hand experience of the Lance owner who went through the same hail storm as the (possibly totaled) AS. Maybe there was luck involved, but his report was based on ownership, not marketing or heresay.

I have owned three truck cabover campers and one travel trailer. None were Lances. After owning an Alaskan cabover hard side popup camper that enjoys some of the same construction techniques of an Airstream, I learned from real world experience (not marketing hype) that there is a real value in some construction techniques over others. After ten years of ownership I lost $500 in depreciation when selling it. Of course the new ones kept going up in price but to only lose $500 from purchase to sale in ten years is something that I doubt Lance nor most any other manufacturer can boast about. And basic maintenance cost me $2 over the ten years as I had to replace the four seals for the hydraulic list mechanism. Each was $0.50. Not too shabby for ten years of RV ownership!!!! I doubt a Lance could match that!

I am happy for that Lance owner and his view on his Lances (non) damage. But his assessment of the situation and mine would not be the same as it relates to the daily ownership (apart from hail storms) of the type of trailer I would be most happy with. He did not mention if there was colateral damage to any cars, trucks, etc. that were also in the path of the hail. Or more particurarly his tow vehicle. Anyway glad you got a laugh out of it. Keeping it friendly is good. Laughing even better at least according to Dr Oz.

There was a time when "Cadillac" was THE status car. Then Lincoln came out with the Town Car and then Lamborghini went international and now "Cadillac" is relegated to a third world status! It's not what it use to be. The same is true with an Airstream camper. There was a time when they were the cream-of-the-crop and if you owned one you had "Cadillac" status among the RV population. Not so much today. With the multi-million dollar RV's, custom built, with millions of dollars of electronics, Airstream has definitely lost it's image as the "cream-of-the-crop" if you're really looking for a "status symbol" Airstream is not it any more. Yes, they are unique campers, but they are not THE status symbol any more. Sorry Airstream owners!

Airstream is THE travel trailer status symbol. Additionally, it is THE recognized icon often associated with RV travel and camping.

I agree with "icon" for Airstream for non-RV folks, but within the RV community I'll bet more folks consider high-end 5r's as the real status symbols for towables. I know some of those would be high on my list if money was no object.

As others have noted, an AS comes with some unique constraints. Which means happy owners must understand those and still want that particular style of TT. From the OPs description of how many RVs they've gone through, I don't think they have reached that type of decision. I'm also surprised there hasn't been that much discussion of what their camping style is, as that should factor into why the type and style of RV they have today does not meet one partner's needs.

I applaud your enthusiasm and wish you a great experience in finding your AS, but I had to laugh when you decided to dismiss the first-hand experience of the Lance owner who went through the same hail storm as the (possibly totaled) AS. Maybe there was luck involved, but his report was based on ownership, not marketing or heresay.

jmtandem wrote:

.......snip........
Airstream is THE travel trailer status symbol.........snip.........

:@
Trying to wrap my head around the phrase "trailer status symbol"-?

Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as an RV status symbol.

Tell that to the movie stars, successful athletes, musicians, some traveling gospel singers, folks with affulence and anybody else affording a $600,000+ motorhome. It is all about status as all provide way more amenities than the basic needs to camp. Start your research with Prevost motorhomes and you will soon change your mind. Airstream is THE travel trailer status symbol. Additionally, it is THE recognized icon often associated with RV travel and camping.

A few years ago, my Dad and his wife went to a nice RV campground (he normally boondocks by himself) that had full hookups. They were all setup nice and even had the BBQ hanging on the outside of the RV. He had a great time, talking to all the folks as he walked his dog and admiring all the high end RVs that were at this campground. His wife was miserable because she felt they were all fancier rigs than theirs and the people looked down on them. I think that was the last time Dad took his wife camping with him. He really does not care what others have and can be happy for them, but he has what he likes and can afford. She wanted him to go buy and fancy big RV but he decided to keep what he had. He has upgraded to a new truck since then but that was because he was towing too heavy with a half ton and went up to 3/4 ton truck.

You may have to sit down and write out what each wants and try to find some common ground. I am very blessed and almost always am happy with what my wife wants. This makes it easy to follow, Happy wife, happy life model mentioned previously.

Happy wife, happy life.

Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as an RV status symbol.

RVs should be comfy, affordable, and right sized; that is why most people change RVs.

Airstream owners like their unique design and features enough to pay extra.

So, IIRC, the original post had to do with trading again. First thing I would say is that y'all are taking a beating on the dollars doing this so often.

Why do you want to change and why does she love it? Maybe you need to sit down and list separately the things you each like/dislike about this one and maybe a second list of what your "ideal" trailer would have. Seems like there is a lack of communication here. Consider the kind of camping/traveling you do, how many people, other things that could effect a choice. Are you also having to change tow vehicles? What is your current tow vehicle and would you have to change to find what you like or do you really prefer a MH? Strongly suggest neither of you budge on this until you can come to an agreement ahead of time on your wants and needs.

My cousin and his DW started maybe 10 years ago with something like a 27' Outback. Pretty soon he felt the urge to move up to a Class A. Almost before it needed to be washed, he felt the need to move to a different Class A. I believe they're on #4 now and seeing it, you'd expect a country singer to step out. It's gorgeous! But his DW is miserable with it, they truly cannot get into virtually any "campgrounds" and end up at a KOA or similar. The campgrounds that have sites plenty long enough are either on a little narrow road with overhanging trees that they can't clear or the campground itself doesn't have room to navigate the road to get to the site. They take it out maybe 3 or 4 times a year. They don't "camp", which was their original objective....they use it to get from Point A to Point B and it's their living space while they're there. But with their group, they have the biggest and the best. Certainly not saying this applies in your case, but my dear cousin has issues and having something new and different makes him happy for a very short time and then it's time to move on. Just think you need some communication on what you really want and your objective and go from there. Good luck and happy camping.

I went to the Pomona RV show this week and looked closely at the 19' to 23' models. Compared to my Micro Lite 21DS (18' box), the Airstreams I looked at fell short in several areas.

The outside storage is almost non-existent. There is no room to store a couple of folding chairs or even a small BBQ. The inside storage is also very limited compared to traditional TTs.

The queen size 'walk-around' bed in the 23FB model is a joke. One side of the bed is only a few inches away from the wall and it's impossible to get in and out from that side of the bed. The refrigerators are also smaller than those found in comparable size traditional TTs. The 20' model has a 4 cu/ft fridge and the 23' has a 5 cu/ft. My 21DS comes with a 6 cu/ft fridge. For such an expensive trailer, I was surprised they don't even have ducted A/C.

As you already know, the Airstreams don't have slideouts, hence the interior feels very cramped compared to TTs with slideouts. This is very noticeable in the smaller trailers.

Agree! A small trailer is a small trailer whoever makes it. Slide outs tend to make the interior a little bigger. Airstream is 8 feet 6 inches wide, the same width of a Northwood Arctic Fox Classic. As a comparison, The Arctic Fox Silver Fox edition, their top of the line, is only eight feet wide, or six inches narrower than the Airstream. But, nobody would think that it is narrower than the Airstream because of the feel of the Fox slide outs. If we think something is narrow, it is. If we don't think it is narrow, it isnt. Not everybody wants a slide out. Perception sometimes is reality; reality irrevelant. But one fact is for sure--a small trailer is a small trailer whoever makes it. If concerned about interior space......go longer. Airstream makes longer.

I do like the friendly tone of this post.

It just shows that people can share opinions and ideas on a forum in a friendly manner. Why can't everybody do that for all issues?